Lockamy to Savannah Branch NAACP: Ask not what your public schools can do for you.

Sunday

Sep 22, 2013 at 11:22 PM

Jenel Few

The Savannah Branch NAACP invited Savannah-Chatham Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Lockamy to its meeting Sunday to answer questions about the state of the schools, particularly as it pertains to African-American students. But Lockamy took the opportunity to ask a few questions of his own.

NAACP Savannah Branch Education Chairwoman Betty Ellington was very direct as she introduced Lockamy. She cited statistics about the lagging academic outcomes among the public school system's largely African-American student body and said something was blatantly wrong.

"We can no longer be satisfied with the status quo," Ellington said. "We are not satisfied and we cannot be satisfied until things change."

But instead of responding with an explanation of what the public school system staff planned to do to change the circumstances for struggling poor and minority students, Lockamy asked the crowd of mainly black community leaders what they were doing to make a difference. He wanted to know how many of them mentored or tutored children in need. He pointed to the five young people on the front row and asked why there weren't more.

"We are all responsible for what we have. If we as neighbors don't do anything about it we are also at fault. It's up to us and it's up to you," Lockamy said. "We've got to stop giving lip service to it."

When the meeting ended several people in the crowd walked away wondering what, if anything, had been accomplished.

"He said he couldn't educate kids without public involvement," NAACP Savannah Branch President Al Scott said. "That's what I understood him to say. He's the one hired to generate that enthusiasm and to get everyone involved. That should not have required an invitation from the NAACP ... But he's exactly right. The entire community must be involved."

NAACP officials said they would pledge to work more closely with district officials to accomplish their common goals.